The Australian Prime Minister Antonio Albanês want to be more than half a century after that Thalidomide scandal in the middle of it medicine apologize to those affected. “The thalidomide tragedy is a dark chapter in the history of our country and the world,” Albanese said on Monday.
“Survivors, their families, friends and caregivers have fought for this apology with courage and conviction for many years. This moment is a long overdue national recognition for everything they have endured and fought for.” According to official information, Albanese will read the apology in parliament on November 29. There are 146 thalidomide survivors registered with the government; the exact number of people affected is not known.
➤ More about this: “We are extinct dinosaurs”
Contergan caused serious birth defects in thousands of newborns
“With this apology, we will honor all the babies who died, the families who mourn them and those who survived but whose lives were made difficult by the effects of this terrible drug,” Albanese said.
Thalidomide is the active ingredient in the sleeping and sedative tablet Contergan, developed by the German company Grünenthal. It caused serious birth defects in thousands of newborns in the late 1950s and early 1960s after pregnant women took it for morning sickness. It is estimated that 80,000 children died before birth and another 20,000 were born with deformities. At the beginning of the 1960s, Grünenthal had to withdraw the medicine from the market.
➤ 60 years of Contergan: it’s not over yet for the victims